We have shown you how to set up a movie website sidebar for content and how to set up a movie website sidebar for profit. Now its time for a dexterous feat, balancing website content on your sidebar with revenue makers.
Gooooaaall!
Decide what your goal is with your movie website sidebar. Are you leaning more towards profit then content or vice versa? Your goal dictates what comes first and what comes second on your sidebar(s).
Profit over Content Goal
As I mentioned before in How to Set Up a Movie Website Sidebar for Profit, if you are going to advertise, have the ads above the fold of your website to maximize the clicks you receive on them. Underneath that should be your default content (e.g. Recent Posts, Recent Comment) and your special content (e.g. Facebook Fan Page widget).
Content over Profit Goal
If content is your goal, use some of your site defaults mixed with some special content to keep site visitors engaged with your content for as long as possible. We discussed this at length in How to Set Up a Movie Website Sidebar for Content. This will lower your bounce rate and increase the amount of time they are on your website. After that, place your ads but be aware they will get less clicks by not getting top billing on your sidebar.
The Camouflage Mix
Blend the ads in with your movie website content on your sidebar so that they seem part of your movie content, an extension of it. Do not label the section “advertising”, “sponsors”, anything that could give away that it is an advertisement (make sure on your advertise page though that those sections are clearly labeled so advertisers know where their ads will show up). Its a bit underhanded but you will receive more curious clicks this way and you are not hurting anyone. The clicker is getting the information they are curious about. If you disclose that the ads are ads with a label, they will stick out more within the mixture of your content. You might get some honesty points but you will also get less clicks.
Said and Done
If your sidebar has both ads and website content, they must be balanced. Beyond what has already been mentioned in this portion of the How to Set Up a Movie Website Sidebar series, the correct balance is also dictated by the aesthetics of your website and its design. The look of your site may accommodate or be predisposed to the needs of one over the other. The bottom-line is to find out through trial and error which mix looks right to you and works best for your movie website.
A question for discussion
- Do you mix profit and website content on your sidebar and if you do, what have you found to be the most effective combination?
Please share below.
